All at Once
by EllieLover19
Summary: Craig's life goes topsy tury after he signs a record contract with G Major... and unexpectedly falls for Jude Harrison. The first in a four-part AU Degrassi-Instant crossover.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: This fic is set in the beginning of Instant Star season 3 and months after "What's It Feel Like To Be A Ghost?" **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Degrassi nor Instant Star. **

"Look, I don't say this often but… you rock. Plain and simple." Darius Mills, himself, complimented. The musician sitting opposite him couldn't help but smile at his words. "Now, we have plenty of 'rockin' rollers' on our team, as you know, but we still would like you to join. _I_ would like you to join. I believe you'd make a great asset to G Major Records." Darius held out a hand across his desk. "Do we have a deal?"

The boy hesitated, wondering the possibilities of agreeing to a contract with G Major. It was a life changing decision that would very well impact his music, his career and most importantly, his future. Was he ready?

"We have a deal Mr. Mills." The boy took the man's hand and shook on the agreement.

"Very well, Craig Manning. Welcome to G Major."

…

"You got it, you agreed?" Spiederman asked his friend as he emerged from Darius's office.

"Yup. He said _I rocked_"

"Dude!" Spiederman exclaimed.

"And I owe it all to you, Spied." Craig and Spiederman high fived.

"I told you I have connections. Darius loves me."

"Well, to tell you the truth, I partly owe everything to you. It turns out Darius heard a demo of me a while back and tried to get a hold of me, but no such luck. So, you pretty much _guided_ me towards him. I didn't have to do much to persuade him."

"Great. My self-esteem level is shot."

"Oh but, you're still the man, Spied. If it hadn't been for you, Darius wouldn't have found me… so soon."

"Nice cover-up, Manning."

"I try."

"Well, to celebrate your new contract with G Major, let's hook-up with Kyle and Wally tonight. Hit the town, meet some hot chicks, party?"

"Yah know what? I think I'm gonna take you up on that."

…

Jude repeatedly called the same number over and over on her cell, hoping to get an answer. No luck. Maybe Tommy was gone for good. Maybe she never would see him again. Maybe he'd meant for their last meeting to end the way it did. Maybe he did want to hurt her all over again.

These thoughts and more buzzed through the young starlet's head.

After calling two more times and getting no response, Jude threw aside her phone. She furiously brushed her hands through her hair, holding back the urge to cry for what seemed like the tenth time since Tommy left.

Long ago, she swore she'd never again lose her mind over Tom Quincy. But now that he was gone, it was clear she couldn't keep her own promises.

Just then, the studio door opened. Jude jumped. She looked up to see who it was.

"Oh, hey." She said to the boy.

"Uh, hi." Craig replied.

"You're, um, Spied's friend. Right?" she asked.

"Yeah, Craig Manning. I just came in to get some stuff. I'll leave if you're busy or whatever."

"No, no, it's fine."

"Um, okay." Craig hesitantly proceeded further into the studio room. He fished through a pile of jackets to find his bag.

"So, how'd your meeting go with Darius?" Jude asked.

"Uh… great. I agreed to the contract, everything's settled…well, not officially but soon."

"Cool, welcome to the dysfunctional family." Jude wisecracked.

"Dysfunctional?"

"Yep, being famous isn't all it's cracked up to be. Trust me."

"Don't I know it." Craig turned back to face the girl. He couldn't believe he was talking directly to Jude Harrison.

"Listen, just a heads up, try to avoid any arousing feelings you have towards your music producer." Jude said.

"Interesting advice."

"Take it from someone who knows, falling in love sucks. Never date anyone in the industry, never date anyone period actually; cause by the end of the day, one of you will end up hurting the other."

"I sense you're going through something. My counselor told me to never hold things in."

"Your counselor, eh?"

"Yeah, he said never to hold in emotions." Craig recalled. "Talk to someone, shout it out, write about it. You'll be surprised how much better you'll feel afterwards."

"Huh, I'll take that into consideration, Craig…" Jude looked to him for his last name.

"Manning. Craig Manning."

"Cool."

There was a weird silence between them for a moment, Jude mostly smiled at him and Craig merely stared at her due to his sudden case of star struckness. Somehow he came up with an idea that would possibly put her in a better mood.

"Hey listen, me, Spied and the guys are heading out in a bit. If you don't have anything better to do, would you like to… tag along?"

"Anything better to do? Huh, besides wallow in self-pity?" Jude hesitated before answering. "Sure. Why not? I could use some fun."

"Cool, we're meeting out in the main hall in about an hour."

"Okay, see yah there."

Craig grabbed his bag and left smiling. _Huh, I just scored points with Jude Harrison_, he thought.


	2. Chapter 2

Later on, Craig met up with Spied and the guys in the main hall. He informed them of Jude's tagging along. Spied made a few gestures that suggested he wasn't exactly happy to hear she was coming. Sure, Spied loved Jude, but he knew she was going through something and he didn't want the entire night to revolve around her issues. Mainly, Tom Quincy. Quite frankly, Spiederman was tired of hearing the name.

Shortly after, Jude joined the four boys in a rather chipper mood.

"Hey guys!" the blond cheesed.

"Hey," Craig smirked.

"Hi Jude." Spied greeted unenthusiastically.

"Aw, what kinda attitude is that? We're gonna have fun tonight and if you're planning on bringin' us down than take your ass home." Jude said jokingly.

"Excuse me?" Spied replied to his friend's lightened mood.

"Did I stutter? Take that ass home if you don't plan on shakin' it."

"You're serious? You're happy now?" piped up Wally.

"I sure as hell am. Tonight I'm letting loose."

"Are yah sure? Cause not too long ago you were sulking around the studio. What changed? " Kyle asked.

"Well, I came to a realization. Guys suck, and it's completely ridiculous for me to ruin my social life because of one doof. So, tonight I'm gonna hang with friends, get loaded and possibly wasted."

"Alright then, let's get this show on the road." Spiederman announced, clapping his hands together.

"Let's do it." Jude led the way out the studio.

…

The gang decided to hit up a local bar/dance club a few blocks away from the studio. Spied thought it to be a great place to find desperate, heartbroken hotties. Of course his suggestion was followed by numerous jokes from the other three.

"That's the only way you get girls… if they're desperate." Kyle joked. Jude laughed momentarily before she remembered she dated the guitarist as well.

"Hey," she yelped, playfully punching Kyle in the ribs.

The place was _jamin'_, to say the least. The music was loud and energetic, there were "lively" people out on the dance floor and the place didn't reek of cigarettes and vomit. The bouncers were even cool guys; they immediately recognized Jude and let them pass.

"I'll get us a table," Wally offered.

"I'll get the drinks. Hopefully these fake IDs still have their charm." Kyle said. He walked off with Wally.

"I'll get the girls. There are plenty here." Spiederman left, leaving Jude and Craig alone.

"Um, I'd offer to do something, but, it seems like the guys are already on it."

"Yeah, almost makes yah feel useless." She attempted to joke. They were silent soon after. They both stood awkwardly at the entrance.

"So," Craig said, hoping to strike up a conversation.

"So…how long have you known Spied?" Jude asked. She and Craig proceeded through the crowd.

"Um, about 3 months. I had a gig after I got out of… a place. Spied and the guys were there. We kinda hit it off after that. What about you? The two of you have known each other since kindergarten? I'm sure you have some stories."

"Yup, me and Spied go way back. You'd be surprised how much stuff I know about him, stuff he probably doesn't even know about himself."

"Hey guys," came Wally. "Table's over here." He said. He guided them to their lounging spot. The table was round; a red circular booth surrounded it. The three of them slid in. Jude and Wally on one side, Craig on the other.

"So, you given any thought to your album?" Jude asked "I mean, I know you just agreed to the contract today but,"

"Ah, yeah. I'm thinking about recording a few songs that I wrote in my journal. Yah know, songs you have in your head but don't really bother to do much else with them. I had loads of time to write them in… college."

"Oh, but Spied said you didn't go to college." Jude said.

"No, no I went to college, but… I was only there for about a month. The pressure, the classes, the work, I just couldn't deal. So I dropped out."

"Well, where'd you attend?" Wally asked.

"U of T. My friends and I shared a place together for a while." _This was rich; I can't believe I'm lying to them like this. Why can't I just tell them the truth? I'm better now. _

"Cool. I got a friend who goes there." Wally said.

"Well, it's a… great campus. Plenty of spots to go and clear your head." Craig insisted.

"Oh, here comes lover boy." Wally announced as the three of them turned to see Spiederman approach the table. A large, red stain now decorated his white t-shirt.

"Damn, what happened to you?" Jude giggled.

"Well, I found a girl." Spied said, sliding into the booth next to Craig.

"Clearly," Wally laughed.

"So I'm talking to her. She's hot, she seems interested, I'm definitely interested and we're just talking. Then this big buff guy comes up next to her, she gives him a look and then splashes her drink on my shirt. Telling me to go away, I'm a pervert, she has a boyfriend. So she's all over him, while he's giving me this _if you don't leave I'm gonna kill you _look. So I just split."

Everyone stared at him for a moment, and then a sudden eruption of laughter circulated around the booth.

"Wow, that's… wow." Jude laughed.

"It's really not funny." Spied rolled his eyes.

"Yeah it is," the other three said at once.

"Ha, ha." Spied sarcastically laughed.

Kyle joined them at the table a moment later.

"No drinks?" Wally asked.

"Yep, my cousin's working the bar tonight. He promised us one or two drinks as long as we kept a low pro…" Kyle's eyes fell on Spied. "Dude, what happened to your shirt?"

"Never mind that."

"Spied had some girl issues." Craig explained.

"Oh, another girl denied having interest in you when her boyfriend showed up?" Kyle asked. Jude snorted.

"Leave me alone." Spied folded his arms and looked away from the group.

"So the drinks?" Craig asked, calming his laughter

"Um, they're ready when we're ready."

"Look, forget the drinks for now. Let's… let's dance." Jude took Wally's hand and they scooted out the booth. Spied, Craig and Kyle followed. Jude led them out on the dance floor.


	3. Chapter 3

Of course, as the night went on, Jude began to loosen up a little too much. One alcoholic beverage lead to another, then another and another. Pretty soon her wild dancing turned into a fight to keep her balance. Wally and Craig had to occasionally hold her up straight.

"Uh Jude, dude I think it's time to put up the cap." Kyle said as Jude stumbled back to the bar.

"What? I thought we… we were gonna *burp* have fun tonight." she giggled uncontrollably.

"Dude we had our fun. It's time to get you home, now." Spied said, throwing her left arm over his shoulder.

"No, no," she protested, still giggling.

"Come on Harrison," Kyle said, taking her right arm. Her strong breath made him wince.

"No!" she clumsily pushed them away, now apparently serious. "Look, I wanted to have fun tonight," she started. People were beginning to stare. "So, if you wanna be little, winey boys cause you can't get a couple of girls to look your way then…. take your lame ass' home. Cause I'm not gonna let you bring me down! Woo!"

Spied looked to Wally, then Kyle. "Fine. We're out then. Get home on your own. Come on guys." Spied headed the others off.

"Guys wait!" Craig shouted. "She's drunk! Guys!" they continued to walk.

"Oh… let 'em go." Jude waved them off and stumbled back one or two times.

"Can you tell me where you live so I can get you home?" Craig tried to keep her balance by holding her shoulders.

"What? Home? We're having fun here." Jude pushed him.

"Jude, come on I need to get you home."

"Oh please, Tommy." She mumbled.

"What?"

"Wait…I gotta," Jude paused. Her eyes dimmed. She held out her arms as if trying to keep her balance. "Uh Oh." She fell to her knees and began puking on the dance floor.

**The Next Morning **

It took her a while to come back to regain consciousness ; she awoke in a daze. Head ringing. Body Sore. Eyes nearly sealed shut. This was definitely a hangover, she remembered it well. What made matters worse, however, she awoke in a bed that wasn't her's. The surroundings didn't even seem familiar and neither did the smell. Where the hell was she?

Jude slowly sat up on the bed, head pounding horribly.

"Oh you're awake," the familiar voice made her jump.

"God," a startled Jude sighed. It was Craig; he'd just entered the bedroom.

"Sleep okay?" he asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Yeah, slept like Courtney Love on Saturday Night."

"Nah, I think Love was a pro at waking up wasted."

"Yeah," Jude smiled, but it soon faded when she remembered she wasn't in her own bed. "Wait. Did we have sex?"

"No, no." Craig chuckled. "No. After you spilled your guts on the dance floor, you couldn't stand up and you were kinda out of it. I picked you up, called a cab and we got here. I took you to my bed, tucked you in. I slept on the couch and I just came in to see how you were doing."

"Oh well, that's a relief… not that I wouldn't sleep with you. It's just that, we kinda just met and it'd be really awkward."

"Don't worry, I wouldn't have done that to you."

"Thanks," they exchanged smiles for a moment. "So tell me, how much of an ass was I last night? Yah know, minus the embarrassment of puking on a club dance floor."

"Well, Spied and the guys are a little pissed at you I think. Yah kinda dissed their womanizing skills."

"Oh… they'll get over it."

"Can I get you something? Water?"

"Uh, sure. Thanks. Wait, you have the time?"

Craig pointed to the alarm clock by his bed.

"Oh my god. It's ten o' clock. I have a meeting with Darius in 15 minutes. Oh god, oh god." Jude shoved aside the blankets and hopped off the bed. "Ooo," she winced. "Got up too fast," she rushed out the room, Craig followed.

"I think you might need these." He handed Jude her shoes.

"Thanks, I…" she paused. "Um, I don't think I."

"What's wrong?"

"Part two."

"Wait!" Craig grabbed his waste bag and held it out in front of her.

"Thank you." She mumbled. Before Craig knew it, she was throwing up in the bag.

**Later **

"You alright girl? You stumblin' a bit." Darius asked, noticing Jude nearly clambering into his office.

"Yeah, rough night."

"You're 20 minutes late, and you know I don't like to wait for anyone"

"Yeah," Jude said, taking the seat across from Darius. "But, I'm your girl and you love me. Remember?" she smirked. Darius looked at her for a moment, then he smiled along.

"Alright, out with it then."

"You know I'm thankful for everything you've done. With Instant Star, G Major and my second album. I owe it all to you."

"Well, you're part of the family Jude."

"Yeah. I just think it's time I did my own thing for now. Like not sing in the finale."

"Excuse me?" Darius frowned.

"I mean, I wanna be a star… just minus the instant. I just need time to work on my third album. Get all the Instant Star stuff out of my head, work on new songs, find new inspirations."

"Jude, your fans range from sweet ole' grandmas to their giglin' grand kids. You being a part of the game keeps you in touch with all of 'em. Plus, the ratings last week were crazy."

"So does that mean Instant Star was good for me… or I was good for Instant Star?" Jude questioned. Darius didn't say a word. "Look D, I just wanna take some time off. That's all I'm asking. I promise you I'll be back in that studio before you know it, with everything I've got."

Darius glared at her for a moment, but Jude could tell he was considering the idea.

"Alright, but I'm sticking you to that. I want you in that studio, working hard on your next album. And no playin' around. I want songs, good songs. We clear?"

"Yes sir." She saluted. "Thanks D," she stood from her chair and left the office with a confident smile.

"Hey! How'd it go?" she was approached by Jamie as she set foot out in the main hall.

"He said yes. Darius, said yes to me."

"That's great. You get to be your own _independent woman_ again, Ana Matronic."

"I guess, but only until the finale is over. He wants me to work my butt off for this third album. Guess I'm gonna have to buckle down and get started with my song writing."

"Guess so," Jamie shrugged. "Anyway, I'll see yah around. Kwest and I have got some sound issues to work out with Patsy's single."

"Oh, how's that comin' along?"

"Pretty good. Yah know, she's determined… she's doing her own thing… it's occasionally sucky dealing with her attitude, but I love her.."

"Hmm, well tell her I said rock out."

"Cool," Jamie walked off.

"Uh Whitney Houston," came Sadie. Jude turned to see her sister holding an envelope. "We have a problem."

…


End file.
